Stelena Diaries
by perfstebekah
Summary: This is a story set just after Stefan and Elena meet for the first time, based around the TV show and the characters featured in that, not the same as the books, mainly based around Stelena and possibly Datherine.
1. Elena's Diary

_Elena's Diary – Chapter One_

_Lots of people have their ideas about life, some see it as a journey, some a battle, I see it as a dream, sometimes filled with happy memories sometimes nightmares and you never quite know what's going to be around the corner. Although you can never truly know when you are awake, you can go day by day thinking, tomorrow I will start living, tomorrow is when I wake up and tomorrow I will see a change. The truth is tomorrow never comes for some people maybe only when they realise what tomorrow could have been, only when something truly magical happens something that you can cherish for ever, because it was something worth remembering. That's the day you will wake up because now is the time to start living, the time you know that there will be no disappointments because your dreams are better than reality._


	2. Something new

_**Chapter 1**_

_Elena:_

_The truth is you probably think the way I go on about my idea of life that I'd seen the magic for myself, that in one moment of my life I saw a reason to wake up and truly see what was in front of me, but if I'm honest there's nothing different about me to anyone else in this world, I am just an average girl, in an average town, with an average life._

Elena glanced over at the old fashioned alarm clock carefully resting on the edge of her dull, wooden beside table. It read 5:45am. Normally she would be woken by the intense light of the morning sun streaming through the slight space in-between her pale gold curtains glistening as it hit the mirror on the opposite side of her bedroom. Usually she would quickly scribble something down in her diary, something perhaps -that she would never read again because to her, nothing about her life seemed exciting, she wasn't the type of girl like Caroline Forbes who could get a different boy each day just to match the outfit she was wearing. She cared about her studies and at the moment that was enough, she didn't know what she wanted, maybe she never would, but today something was different and just maybe today's diary entry may be the start of something special for her maybe this time she would get the fairytale she always longed for. Something in the back of her mind reminded her, this sort of thing only happened to extraordinary people and she was just ordinary.

_Dear Diary,_

_This morning is different, there is change, I can feel it. I am awake and for the first time in a long time, I feel completely and undeniably wide awake. For once I don't regret the day before it begins. I welcome the day. Because I know – I will see him again._

_**Stefan:**_

_I saw her again yesterday; this time she saw me too. I know I said I wouldn't let it happen, but this time there is nothing I can do to stop it – I know the risks, but I have no choice, I **have **to know her. _

_Everything seemed so much easier when I could pretend she was Katherine, from far away she could be her, but from studying this girl I know she isn't. Katherine was cold and calculating, who would manipulate anyone she could with her beauty and charm, I said I would never fall for it again. After she disappeared with Damon I thought I would never lay eyes on her again, who knew I would be haunted by her exact double, seeming like some eerie revenge her and my brother had planned. Although something tells me Katherine doesn't know about her, for one reason only, if she did my guess would be she would already be dead. Something drew me here, back to mystic falls; after not returning for over 50 years I never thought I would come back, but some strange power was calling me here, maybe it was her, I don't know, but whatever it is I planned on finding. I can no longer ensure I will be here on my mission undetected. _


	3. Crossed Paths

_~ Chapter 2 ~_

_There seemed like there was a million and one things that she could have written in that diary about yesterday, but that was all it needed no cheesy drama about romance or anything like that. Those words expressed her true unspoken feelings, she wanted him and she was going to get him; one way or another Stefan Salvatore will be hers._

_Today she decided she would walk the hallways with confidence and sophistication, she would do exactly what Caroline does when she wanted a boy, never chase after him, make him realise how much he wants you until he's begging you to call him yours._

_The truth is Elena wasn't like Caroline, she was pretty but the other boys always seemed to notice someone prettier, she was popular but there was always someone else who was the centre of attention. This time she decided it was her turn to get what she wanted, she had always played by the rules and never seemed to win well this time she would win and she knew exactly what she wanted as her prize _

_Something she had never thought of, she had never really had a boyfriend **ever, **what would she do if Stefan asked her about it? Lie and tell him something completely made up then wait for him to find out from someone else that she was never liked that much by someone that they ever asked her out. Besides she didn't even know him already, she questioned herself why he would even want to talk to her because she could already guarantee Caroline had already got her claws into him, ripping him apart finding out everything she could, Elena knew that would be her weapon against all those other girls, that would be her leverage because she will know exactly what to say. _

_Elena walked casually though the hallway, holding her perfectly organised school books close to her chest ensuring not to drop them when walking through the unorganised chaos that was the Tuesday morning rush with everyone trying to get to their class. Her silky brown hair swaying slightly as she walked her big brown eyes searching the crowds for a familiar face – no such luck. _

_Well the phrase "everyone" going to class is slightly inaccurate she thought as she caught a glimpse of her younger brother Jeremy, sauntering sneakily out into one of the stairways at an attempt to try and skip class. Normally she would think nothing of it and let him make his own decisions. After all, he is the one they will have the most impact on. _

_She tried not to be too insensitive with him after all it had only been a couple of months since his best friend had been brutally murdered, Jeremy was one of the only people in the town who was ever close to Vicki Donovan, he was like her - misunderstood and in the strangest way, they seemed to understand each other. Ever since that night the town had never been the same, nobody ever wanted to talk about what happened in fear of them being another victim; because anyone could be next. Never was it confirmed how she died but I think everyone in the town would prefer not to know. This time the words "Animal attack" weren't justice but nobody else knew what else it could be. Or did they?_

_She thought sometimes her parents let him take advantage of the situation just to get what he wanted, but he knows she could always tell when he was trying to avoid doing something, that's why he tended to try and avoid her, getting lectured about cutting classes in front of your friends wasn't the best thing to happen to you at school but she knew it was the only way he would stop._

_So she decided today was time for him to learn a lesson, she marched over to him ignoring anyone she accidently bumped into on the way. As soon as he saw her he moved to try and get away but Elena was not in the mood today and grabbed him by the arm so he could hear what she had to say whether he wanted to or not._

_Strolling coolly through the hectic corridor Stefan's senses ignored the blur of activity around him and focused on the faint buzz of a conversation he could just make out slightly ahead of him. With expensive sunglasses to cover his oak green eyes he looked a dark mysterious stranger, which ironically he was to most of them, normally Elena would at least know something about a new student but this time she was oblivious to this handsome stranger amongst them._

_As he moved closer towards the conversation he was eavesdropping upon he noticed that it was Elena looking slightly alarmed, he was just about to turn and walk the other way but he noticed he was already beginning to walk off in the other direction. As he did not need to worry about her trying to make conversation he removed his sunglasses to reveal beautiful deep, dark eyes._

_He continued on down the corridor as he placed his sunglasses into his bag, he looked up attempting to search for his first class, even though it was the second day at the school he still wasn't familiar with his surroundings, his eyes scoured the sea of unknown faces searching for someone he may recognise._

_Suddenly he stopped as he crossed paths with a girl who looked vaguely familiar, he hated making himself seem rude or obnoxious and hated the thought of walking into people and not apologising._

_As the girl turned her head to see whom she was standing directly in front of, Stefan's face turned from embarrassment and shame to a look of hatred and disgust. As he realised it was **Elena Gilbert**. _

_Her beauty consumed him, but he knew he had already let his feelings overcome him and could not risk showing these to the girl, his humanity was what was killing him, he needed to face the fact he wasn't human and nothing he could ever do would change that. He was a monster, being around these people only made him worse, with every step they took closer to him the sounds of blood rushing through there veins became more immanent it took every part of him to have the strength not to feed on them, he didn't know how long he could keep it up. _


	4. If looks could kill

_~ Chapter 3 ~_

_Elena still couldn't believe what had just happened, she could just feel happiness buzzing through her like electricity. It made her feel alive. She kept running the situation over in her head; the way he stopped to see if she was ok, then looking up into those deep green eyes of his. It all seemed magical, too perfect to imagine, but then if she continued to run it over she could remember the look on his perfectly sculpted face turning to horror as soon as he laid eyes on her. She thought he was a gentleman but nobody she had ever met would do anything like that to someone, it was just plain rude – maybe she was wrong about him._

_Even she had to admit nobody, (except Caroline) knew that much about him at all, and thinking about it she didn't think Stefan would be stupid enough to tell Caroline Forbes his entire life story, within one minute of him telling her the complete female population of the school would know about it. _

_This thought kept her mind at peace, there was still time for her to get to know him before anyone else, and regarding the situation earlier she decided it was just a misunderstanding he probably didn't even realise he looked at her in that way, he wasn't like that, although there was still something odd about him, Elena couldn't quite work it out._

_**Stefan ~**_

_He went to class early to try and forget the unfortunate situation that had just arisen. This girl was different, she wasn't like other girls he had ever met before; she was enchanting. The more he tried to avoid her, the more he wanted her. _

_Sometimes he thought it would be easier to drink human blood just compel her to love him, she wouldn't even realise he was doing it. That was unfair though, he had never agreed with the exploitation of humans especially when it came to love, people should have their own free will, to love whomever they choose. What is wrong with that?_

_Drinking animal blood seemed to have a million and one disadvantages compared to drinking human blood but there was one thing that made it all seem worth while for him – Drinking animal blood had some strange power, so if he ever wanted to he could read someone's thoughts, if he concentrated hard enough it would be like them speaking their thoughts out loud for only him to hear._

_He could faintly hear someone approaching the classroom in a group of 3 or 4 people, it sounded like Elena and some of her friends, he decided this would be the perfect opportunity to try and see her thoughts, after what just happened it the hallway he didn't think she would ever want to speak to him again. He thought this sounded stupid but even though he loved this girl with all of his heart, he knew it was too dangerous for him to even speak to her. As soon as he fell for her, he knew he would never be able to stop._

_**Elena ~**_

_Walking into the history class she saw all those familiar faces from previous years, Matt, Tyler and lots of girls she never really got to know. Then as she walked over to her seat she realised who had sat in front of her – Stefan Salvatore, this was getting more and more weird first he walks into her then attempts to ignore her, then he sits directly in front of her so he wouldn't even have to look at her. She wondered if there was something seriously wrong with her. What was so bad about her that he couldn't even look at her, she never thought she was ugly but looking at him she imagined he had dated a lot of pretty girls. Who were, no doubt, a lot prettier than she was._

_Sitting in history she couldn't concentrate all she could think about was the moment in the hallway, his eyes were mesmerising, they consumed her, and everything about him was beautiful. He had this sense of power that just staring at her made her feel helpless. She couldn't control her feelings for him anymore and she wanted to make them clear to him, she just didn't know how yet. _

_**Stefan ~ **_

_All the way through the lesson, he could feel the gaze from her chocolate brown eyes, boring through him. From reading her thoughts he decided he needed to find a new way of making her hate him because now she wants him even more than she did before._

_He couldn't concentrate either all he heard about in the lesson was the comet, something he could remember from 1864, and now it was passing over mystic falls again. Back then everyone said it was a sign of "impending doom" they were right. Maybe this time they will be again._


	5. The Meet

_**A/N Sorry everyone for not being able to update for ages, my internet has been down, but you will all be pleased to know I have been busy writing while I can, I have taken your advice and made this chapter longer and more is beginning to happen now so please, review your comments really help me and please follow me on twitter SE_IS_EPICLOVE for story updates and lots more. SPOILER ALERT – In the next couple of chapters I plan to introduce Damon and maybe Katherine just not sure when yet. **_

_**Chapter 4**_

_After yesterday Elena deciphered she needed Stefan and she wasn't going to give up without a fight. She had decided to volunteer to show him around the school, after all she was a member of the Welcoming Committee and really how could he refuse her offer. Then of course she would strike up a conversation and give her best first impression maybe then he will see something special in her, unlike before - now she was willing to give everything she had for this one boy; she didn't quite know why, but there was something special about him, he was different._

_On the way to school she explained to her best friend Bonnie about everything she had thought about, although she couldn't help noticing she seemed slightly distracted; that and the fact between every moment Elena paused to regain her train of thought Bonnie would start rambling on about being psychic. Elena loved her but sometimes her wacky ideas got a bit out of hand. Besides her lacking ability to hold up the same conversation, Bonnie swore to Elena she would help her to get Stefan no matter what._

_**Stefan ~**_

_I came back for her, but now this is real and I don't think I can trust myself. She is everything I ever wanted, but I can't let her know that. It all seems so unfair, everyone else gets to live while I am stuck reliving my past every day of my life. The one time there might be a possibility of me getting the life I never got to live, I am reminded of the bitter reality, I am a vampire and that's all there is to it. 161 years and counting._

_I tried to leave but I can't face it not knowing she is still alive, living, **breathing** I need to stay here at least for a while, I don't know why but there's something special about her, she was different and why does she look so much like Katherine? That can't be coincidence they are not just alike they are identical maybe not in personality but if either of them ever met they would be seeing their reflections – without the mirror._

_His emotions were going crazy just at the thought of her, one time he couldn't bare to see her, the next he felt he couldn't live without her. He had thought to begin with - that she would make it easy for him and not really pay attention to the guy who was such a jerk. Little did he know the more he acted this way the more she wanted him and the more and more determined she got._

_She saw it as a challenge one she was willing to accept because taking a risk for happiness is something she was prepared for. Perhaps he would come around once he saw the real her but even she now had doubts in her mind._

_As Elena arrived at school she keenly glanced around the courtyard, wondering if he was there, she was certain nobody would miss a day of their first week at school so she decided she would wait patiently until history at the end of the day to spring her plans upon him, maybe then they would be able to go around after school, alone, when nobody, not even Caroline would be around to ruin it for her._

_**Stefan ~**_

_Flawless. That was the only way he could describe her, perfect in everyway. Every time he saw her, his heart ached knowing she was the one thing he could never have, even if she wanted him too. He couldn't put her through that, not a relationship where he couldn't give it his full commitment in fear of what he may do to her. That's the one curse about living for ever you are doomed to be forever alone because the chances of falling in love with someone like you, is near to impossible._

_He didn't want to do this to her but he knew if even the slightest part of him started to fall for her he could never get it back, so his only option was pretend to hate her, that's what he had to do. _

_The day went by very quickly and he was relieved to note that she had decided not to talk to him in history and simply ignore him all together. However much this hurt him he decided it was for the best._

_**Elena ~**_

_Staring at the clock she knew there were only a few more minutes until the bell rang, history would be over and she could finally make her move. The seconds seemed like hours but eventually the bell rang to sound the end of the day, most of the students picked up their book and rushed out, glad to be away from this place. She noticed he hadn't left yet, so she decided she would stay a while too, after a few minutes of sitting idly at her desk she decided to casually stroll over to where Stefan was now standing packing his bag. She decided this would be time for a proper introduction. "Hi I'm Elena; I'm a member of the Robert E Lee Welcome Committee I've been assigned to show you around the school this week! We can even start now if you wanted." she exclaimed enthusiastically worrying she had got slightly self conscious and over done it on the "Welcome Front" but its now or never she thought. She had been so caught up in the moment of everything she hadn't even realised the fact she was slightly holding onto his arm. She looked directly at where her hand was and then looked into his eyes, how she managed to without collapsing on the floor she didn't know, but then she felt her heart tear in two as she recognised that same look of fear and disgust, he hesitated to reply but what he did manage to form in words resembled something like "No thanks, I'm sure I'll be fine." She felt crushed as if being punched in the stomach over and over again, on repeat._

_Bonnie had seen her reaction and ran over straight away to try and break the uncomfortable situation. Being the usual and bubbly self, she introduced herself as Bonnie Bennett, surprisingly he didn't give the same rude obnoxious reaction as to when Elena first spoke to him, he offered to shake her hand and she did so politely._

_All of a sudden Elena heard a sharp intake of breath from Bonnie and she quickly pulled her hand away from Stefan's, Elena turned to look at her in bewilderment but before any of them had time for words. A noise coming from Bonnie broke the deathly silence, loud and clear. One word. **Death**_


	6. It's a date

_**A/N: So I tried to update as soon as possible for everyone thank you again for all of you reviews and comments, they really help. Thank you to everyone who just reads as well a review from all of you would be perfect! This chapter is rather long and I'm sorry I said I would introduce Damon but I didn't realise how long this chapter would end up otherwise so I've left his introduction for the next chapter as it will be something pretty special I hope! Thank you to everyone once again and I hope you enjoy this chapter I have been working all day to get it perfect for you all. **_

_**Chapter 5**_

_After what had just happened even Bonnie was shocked at the reaction she gave, finding it odd how she couldn't control her thoughts, when she'd touched him she could not possibly describe what she had seen, it was what she had felt, **death**. She didn't know why, maybe it was all part of being psychic she thought, but honestly she knew that wasn't true - maybe at first it had seemed a little stupid, but now all these odd things that were happening to her started to form and even stranger explanation._

_**Stefan ~**_

_There was something wrong and he knew it, as soon as Bonnie introduced herself something told him she was bad news. Only after the incident had happened the realisation hit him, Bonnie **Bennett. **How could he have been so stupid not to think?A long time ago he had known descendants of the Bennett line, throughout history they had been a group of extremely powerful witches and to this day they are the most feared among vampires. _

_Vampires are an abomination and witches see them as an imbalance in nature, they will do whatever they can to prevent more being created. He had noticed however she didn't yet know the extent of her powers, if knew anything about them at all. He wasn't safe for long, soon he knew; she would realise what he was and then so would Elena._

_There was nothing he could do to stop it, witches are not the kind to keep a secret and no doubt Mystic Falls already knew they have a vampire problem and were prepared for anything, just like back in 1864, fortunately then he was safe, he was living among them unaware of the terrors he was soon to face – now it was a different story the hunter is soon to become **The Hunted**. _

_His only option now was to try and convince her that he wasn't as bad as all the others, if that meant he had to get to know her then that's what he would do, it would be tricky trying to elude Elena, but he needed to stay alive just to see her, that's all he needed._

_He decided to enforce his plan as soon as possible and remembered the comet, everyone in the town was sure to go and watch, especially as they had to write a paper all about the evening- so he was positive that all of his history class would be attending._

_He kept remembering the confrontation the other day, when Elena was trying to speak to him, he seemed to recall Bonnie rushed over as if she was jealous that they may be sharing a moment so maybe he could try the same thing again, ask Elena if she wanted to go with him to watch the comet and surely she would want to tag along with her best friend? After all he was certain Elena no longer saw him as a love interest, more as someone who picked people up and dropped them whenever they thought was fit, surely nobody would like a guy who behaved in such a way? So if he tried to make a move on her as part of his plan to fool Bonnie; she was sure to stop him. Perhaps he could even pretend to like her and confess to Elena, even if she promised not to tell he was certain she wouldn't keep something like that from her best friend especially if Bonnie liked him back._

_**Elena ~**_

_Sat at her bedroom window staring out across the fields at the edge of town, Elena felt annoyed, depressed and worst of all rejected. It was obvious he had some sort of problem with her, every time she tried to talk, he found an excuse. If ever they were even close to making eye contact he was sure to quickly turn towards a different direction to avoid seeing her at all. She hadn't even done anything wrong, she decided she didn't want to be with someone rude, hateful and right now she couldn't even tolerate the thought of his smug face. She wanted to know exactly what his problem was and then she would be done with him. Forever. _

_After she told him what a complete and utter jerk he really was, trying to pull the wool over everybody's eyes with the whole, dark, mysterious stranger, when really he was just playing the I'm too cool for the entire world card, he acted like everyone around him was some sort of tramp who could be executed just by looking at him. _

_Except from Bonnie that was, he didn't seem at all bothered by her the way he was with Elena. Caroline seemed to intimidate him slightly which didn't surprise Elena; but I think she was over him now, seen as he didn't show any interest in her she had already moved on to someone new. _

_She couldn't help but keep asking the same question over and over again in her head- What had Bonnie done that she hadn't, what made him like her more, when she didn't even try?_

_The rest of that Friday dragged on with her taking her aggression and hate for Stefan on anything and everything she could. Soon Monday came around with the weekend flying past in a blur. At least this evening she would be able to watch the comet with Bonnie and forget about everything Stefan. Soon this school year would be over and she would be able to make sure her classes next year did not include __**him**_.

_There wasn't too long until the summer holidays either so she still had the decade dance to look forward too as well, she convinced herself she would just get on with the rest of the year, attempting to ignore him in the way he did her, avoiding eye contact and all. See how he feels._

_As soon as she arrived at school she met with Bonnie, they started talking about the dance and the comet, wondering what tricks Caroline had up her sleeve this year to outdo them all. To be honest Elena couldn't care less, she had given up on school at this very moment and Caroline Forbes was the least of her worries, all she cared about was her revenge, he wouldn't deceive her this time, she knew exactly what type of guy he was and she wasn't willing to play his game._

_Bonnie was shocked when she explained everything "I thought he was the one?" she exclaimed. "Yeah the one and only decent guy in this whole school that I thought maybe, just maybe I might have a chance with, but no her turned out to be just like all of the others!" Elena snapped back, taking her rage and anger for this boy out on Bonnie._

"_So I take it that our plan is well and truly over then?" Bonnie questioned. Elena remained silent and left Bonnie to figure it out for herself, she didn't know what she thought about him anymore, one minute she hated him the next she felt she couldn't live without him, but nobody could deny whatever his personality, his looks were the definition of perfection, his perfectly toned body and oak green eyes, no girl could resist. Maybe that was all she cared about now, his looks… she still didn't know._

"_So…if you don't want him anymore?" Bonnie added, "Does that mean I can?" before she even had chance to finish the sentence Elena turned sharply looking directly into her eyes with a look that said "did you really just ask that?" Bonnie looked away shamefully and tried to think of something she could say that could distract her – no such luck._

_Suddenly a thought came into her head that she thought might make Elena laugh a little, something she hadn't heard in a while. "Hey, you will never guess what!" she conversed. "What?" Elena said with a slightly bored/aggravated tone in her voice. "My gramps was going on about all that psychic stuff again this weekend, she wont shut up about it now, I mentioned that thing with Stefan the other day. She's come out with a whole new story about my ancestors being witches now, I mean seriously I think it's time we put that woman in a home, I mean really witches, what is she on? Then she said that we have the power to sense the dead or threatening creatures or something like that!" _

"_So you're telling me that Stefan is either dead or a threatening creature?" Elena ridiculed. "Or both, maybe?" Bonnie said sarcastically "Ahh yes!" Elena announced with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "Stefan is dead and walks among the living - because you always meet loads of people like that!" Elena said, beginning to irritate Bonnie with her constant mocking. "Well he might be a vampire, you never know, they are famous as the living dead and last time I checked they were quite threatening!" Bonnie answered back. Elena giggled slightly at the thought, "No, no, no if he was a vampire he wouldn't be able to walk in the sun now would he? Not that I'm even considering that ridiculous thought; I think everyone knows that vampires don't exist, and don even try and tell me they do, I had enough of that last year with Jeremy." Bonnie didn't even try to argue because she knew she would just make herself sound even more ridiculous and Elena would win. Thinking about it herself it did sound slightly unintelligent of her._

_Elena was glad that the day went quickly, eventually it came round to history, gladly Stefan didn't even attempt to speak to her or Bonnie during the lesson so she decided to forget about him altogether. As she was walking towards the door ready to leave she saw from the corner of her eye someone approaching her- at first she thought it may be Stefan but knew better – why would he of all people want to talk to **her**. _

_She quickly glanced sideways in the hope she could work out who was there, but she saw nobody? That can't be right, she thought to herself. She ignored it and decided she must have been seeing things, she shrugged and turned to leave out of the door to find Bonnie again, when suddenly she realised someone was standing directly in front of her, so close they were almost touching._

_She set her gaze upwards to see who it was, wondering if they realised how close they really were. For a moment she thought her eyes were deceiving her, was it really Stefan Salvatore the boy who couldn't even bare to look at her for more than a second, what did he think he was doing? _

_Elena was furious but she hadn't realised how much she had jumped when she saw him there. She was going to ask him right there and then what his problem really was, but before she could form anything that sounded aggressive enough she was interrupted by him apologising – once again Elena could not believe what she was hearing. Stefan Salvatore…**apologising? **She wondered if she was dreaming._

"_It is fine." she replied in a somewhat submissive manner. She thought and hoped that this would be the end of their little run in but unfortunately for her, he continued to speak. "Sorry for bumping into you, but I wanted to talk to you about watching the comet later…" he paused self consciously for a moment wondering if she would understand what he was trying to ask. _

_She was shocked to say the least but she already knew exactly what he was going to say, but she considered she would torture him and make him say it out loud so anyone around could hear. "What about it?" she tried to reply sounding slightly confused but with an edge of curiosity._

"_Well I was wondering if you wanted to…go with me and you could maybe tell me a bit more about the town and you know, get to know each other a bit better?" he was praying to himself that this sounded convincing because he needed her to accept, he couldn't help be worried about the fact she seemed slightly irritated at the fact he wanted to talk to her, although anyone would be after the way he treated her, but he had made his mind up it was for the best._

_There was a long pause in the conversation every second dragging by like an hour, Stefan couldn't help but feel anxious as he watched Elena childishly debate with the situation in her head._

_He knew exactly what she was trying to do, make him feel guilty after the way he had ignored her before, it was obvious she hated him, but he needed her for his plan, to save himself._

"_Okay then" she answered finally. "Meet me at the boarding house whenever your ready later, you can leave your car there and I'll walk with you from there." he replied straight away, assuming this would be okay he walked off looking pleased with himself. This irritated Elena knowing she had just given him exactly what he wanted, her attention, now he knew he could get her whenever he wanted but something told her maybe she could get him to realise exactly how horrid he was to her and just completely ignore him later, that would teach him a thing or two. She knew that would never happen though, she just couldn't help herself, there was something about him, she could just never say no._

_As Elena pulled up to the boarding house it was beginning to get dark already, but she was distracted, when she stepped out to go to the door she realised how big this place really was, and Stefan owned it, all of it, that was practically impossible she thought to herself, she never even realised it was for sale and he hadn't even been in town that long… besides, how would a 17 year old be able to afford a place like this._

_She approached the door and carefully knocked it, to her surprise it gently opened but with no sign of anyone behind it. She shouted "Hello" hoping for a reply and that this wasn't some kind of joke. Then she heard Stefan shout from upstairs "I'm almost ready, come upstairs if you want." Elena was hesitant but slowly made her way upstairs still unconvinced whether this was a joke or not. As she reached the room where she heard Stefan getting ready she slowly pushed the door open and sure enough standing with his back to her staring out the window was Stefan, she hadn't really take time to notice before how perfect he really looked, she wanted nothing more than to go over there and tell him how she truly felt, but she knew she would only embarrass herself, why would anyone like him want a girl like her. She couldn't even believe herself that she still felt this way about him after how rude he was before, so she decided she would keep her guard up and see what he was really up to. _

_She didn't even know if he had noticed her or not and wondered what she should say to get his attention, never before had she been in a situation like this, so she decided to keep it plain and simple and let him know she wasn't prepared for any funny business._

"_Are we going to watch the comet or what then?" she started, "By the time you finish getting ready it will probably have been and gone by now." she said impatiently not knowing herself if she was joking or not._


	7. The Comet

_**A/N: Okay firstly I would like to apologise to everyone I know its been over a week since I updated, this chapter isn't as long as I wanted but I had to update to give you guys something to read this chapter doesn't really go that much further ahead in time but it's the significance of the things happening that I wanted to focus on. Please review, all of your opinions help me – hope you enjoy! **_

_Chapter 6_

_Elena was already irritated by the arrogance of his presence – she had no idea how she was going to put up with **this** for the whole night, any chance she got to escape she would take gladly. However she decided for one night, she was going to put everything else behind them and just enjoy it after all, how often did she get asked out by a hot guy?_

"_Whoa someone's a bit stressy!" Stefan said sarcastically as he winked at her. This infuriated Elena even more, but she decided not to let him know that, otherwise he would know just how to manipulate her, and she never liked boys to have an advantage over her, she liked to be in control._

"_You do realise, anything you say when you wink at me is just creepy right?" she replied jokingly, "Is that so?" he replied- winking again as he could see Elena was getting irritated, "nice jeans!" he added winking again for effect. Elena rolled her eyes but then began to laugh at his attempt to aggravate her, "You know you love me really" he responded. There was a long pause as Elena thought if only he knew the irony of that comment, but then she reflected on that thought, and came to the conclusion she had just got caught up in the moment- she didn't really love him especially after the way he treated her. He had to prove himself tonight, to show her he wasn't such a jerk after all!_

"_So are we going them or not?" Stefan said sarcastically using Elena's exact words so she might acknowledge the fact that he was now ready to go. She seemed unlike her normal self to Stefan, she was simply stood staring out of the window, expressionless. She was in two minds of what to do now, completely dismiss Stefan for the entire evening and get her revenge like her original plan or… try and enjoy herself and see a side to Stefan that nobody else had seen before. She didn't know what she wanted so decided she would just see what happened with no plan at all._

"_Oh so you finally decided to put a shirt on then." Elena replied sarcastically, "Most girls wouldn't be complaining!" he answered "Well unlike most girls, looks don't always matter to me; I like to see someone's personality as well!" Elena retorted with a hint of aggression in her tone, slightly irritated by his arrogance._

"_Come on Elena everyone knows that looks are important I mean I wouldn't have asked just any girl to go out with me tonight." she turned around sharply to face him, he had surprised her with that comment, she was about to reply but couldn't seem to find words to answer to this- sort of compliment from Stefan, this was the last thing she expected…he continued "I mean, its obvious you care about looks too!" he proclaimed, in a matter of fact way. "Oh really, how did you work that one out then?" Elena replied now interested in his observation._

"_Well you see if you didn't care about looks you wouldn't turn up with your hair looking perfect and wearing that extremely thin jumper which you will definitely freeze to death in later seen as you didn't bring a coat, although I'm not complaining don't get me wrong a coat would cover way too much flesh for my liking." winking at her again to see if she might laugh a little and may be not be so serious._

_Typical guy, thought Elena, only thinking about what he can't see, although she had to admit, she changed her outfit about 10 times to make sure she looked ok, and she really was going to freeze in that jumper but it was what she looked best in so she decided she wouldn't admit that to him! _

"_Did you really just say that?" she said with raised eyebrows, "What, I'm just being honest." he replied. "Oh and by the way I will not get cold in this jumper- for your information it's a lot warmer than it looks!" thinking about what she just said she thought of how stupid she just sounded even having to convince herself what he said wasn't true. _

"_Is that so?" he replied jokingly "Yes. It is!" she crossed her arms and turned her back to him, he knew she was joking so he didn't mind. She could see his reflection in the window in front of her. He just seemed to be staring at her- she thought for a minute they were going back to the way he was before, when he looked at her in disgust and refused to speak to her. Then she noticed he was approaching her slowly looking unsure about something, for a minute she got her hopes up wondering if this could be **a moment**, but she knew better than that, instead she watched as he approached her, slowly narrowing his eyes as if to look at something._

_She suddenly felt a cool breeze rush upon her and realised how cold she really was thanks to that jumper. Her mind had been taken off the thought of him still approaching her and when she looked up from her arms into the mirror she almost jumped when she noted how close he was now, although she hoped he hadn't realise she'd seen him._

_All of a sudden she heard his voice in her ear, soft but yet again sharp. "Still sure that jumper is warm enough? Because I can think of plenty of things we can do if it isn't!" hoping she got the hint, but unfortunately there was no reply, he really was good at playing this game, making her want him. He felt bad but after all it was what he had to do._

_Elena had no idea what was happening right then but he slowly started to move his arms round her waist holding her from behind, he was so close to her in that moment she could feel his steady heartbeat against her back. She didn't think it was possible for someone to have this sort of effect on her, she couldn't even breathe and she felt so weak, if he hadn't been there to hold her she probably would have fallen to the ground at his feet that very second._

_For a minute she let her emotions overrule her but she knew, that she couldn't let this happen because that would be giving in to him and letting him have what he wanted, to take advantage of her._

"_Whoa, hang on a minute. When I agreed to come and watch the comet with you I thought it was on a strictly "friends" basis, if I knew it was this sort of girl you were after I wouldn't have bothered turning up, because I hate to disappoint you Stefan but that's not going to happen now, maybe in the future sometime but I barely know you and from what you just thought might happen I think it shows you don't really know me that well either." she snapped._

"_Okay, okay! Chill out, sorry I can't help it that you are in denial about your attraction towards me, because I mean lets face it most girls I'm used to don't have that problem and no isn't really a word often used in their vocabulary."_

_Oh my god, Elena thought to herself what kind of mess had she gotten herself into, she had given him a second chance and all he has done is make himself look like an even bigger ass than before. "You really are unbelievable you know that right?" Elena exclaimed "Unbelievably good looking, really I already know" he said hoping she would lighten up a little. _

"_I think I'm going to go, I made a big mistake coming here it wasn't really a good idea, it was never going to be!" she said solemnly looking down at her feet avoiding eye contact with him._

"_So after all of this your going to go by yourself, and you really don't care that Caroline will realise you came without me?" he asked in disbelief, even he would not want Caroline to know he got stood up by Elena and he sure as hell knew she wouldn't be able to refuse when she thought about what might happen when she **did** find out, because there was no way Caroline could not know about **anything**._

_Elena didn't even need to think about it, she knew that even though Stefan was a complete idiot, what he just reminded her couldn't be more true and after the way Caroline had reacted when she found out Stefan was seeing Elena tonight it would be way too convenient for her if she didn't go. So as much as she hated the idea of spending the whole night with Stefan she loved the idea of annoying Caroline even more._

"_Okay, fine, lets go then by the time we get there it will probably have been and gone by now!" Elena said sounded irritated but slightly sarcastic at the same time. "After you he said holding the door open slightly for her, but only so there was enough room for her to get past him if she got very, very close._

_As she made her way down the stairs from Stefan's room Elena admired the 16th century house and all its quirks, whilst Stefan took his time to admire Elena from behind._

_Elena thought the ride to the town centre would have dragged on with Stefan only talking about himself and making inappropriate comments, however to her surprise it seemed like they were only in his car for a few moments with him keeping the conversation… suitable she actually thought she might be beginning to enjoy herself. _

_As he got out of the car he walked proudly to the other side where Elena was sitting, and opened the door for her. Maybe he was regretting what he said earlier? Although she didn't put money on it, Stefan didn't seem the type to see wrong in anything he did. Well whatever had happened between the boarding house and getting here, she liked the change in him._

"_So," he began, "tell me a little more about yourself then, I barely know anything about you!" "Well if you didn't spend so long worrying about my jumper we might have actually had a chance to talk, instead of disagree, and really there's nothing interesting about me, I'm nobody special really my life is really pretty boring." she replied sounding slightly disappointed in the way her life had turned out._

"_Oh there has to be at least one thing interesting, everyone has something they want to hide" Stefan said sure he could find out more. "Nope nothing, although if I think of anything interesting I'll be sure to let you know!" this time she was the one to wink at him, interested to see the reaction he would give. She was taken away from the thought when she felt him suddenly grab her hand. As soon as she was about to disapprove she felt him lean towards her and whisper "Make her jealous!" she was slightly confused and was tempted to yank her hand away from him when she looked up and saw Caroline staring them down as if her gaze could rip them both apart right there and then._

_Elena was quite impressed at how determined he was to make sure Caroline was definitely put off, but she decided to play along with his little game, after all seeing the satisfaction of annoying Caroline had its benefits for her as well._

"_I see you two had nothing better to do tonight then." sneered Caroline. "Actually I asked Elena if she would kindly accompany me to watch the comet, I mean I would have asked you but…well to put it nicely I don't really like clingy girls – sorry." Stefan confidently replied. "Ugh! Don't be I had plenty of other offers I just chose not to accept any, I imagine for Elena never really having been asked out before she didn't really know how to say no, did you Elena?" questioned Caroline carefully picking out her choice of words, to make sure Elena didn't slap her right there._

_Elena hated her so much, she didn't even know why she ever trusted her, telling her stuff like that she knew she would just blurt out to anyone at any moment. "Well, last time I checked I was the one who ended up with a date…" Elena replied extremely irritated "Oh no offence by the way!" she added with an extremely fake smile plastered all over her face which she knew would drive Caroline crazy._

"_Anyway, I better leave; someone probably wants to talk to me." Caroline exclaimed dismissively. As soon as Stefan knew she couldn't hear he whispered to Elena "Wow someone's a bit upset, I think!" Elena laughed because she knew how much fun it was for him to annoy her like that. "You know one day she will get you back for that, right?" Elena questioning if he knew what he was getting himself into. "She can try!" he laughed._

_Elena didn't really know what to say, until she noticed they were still holding hands, even though Caroline had left a while ago, she didn't say anything wondering if he would notice. She thought he was just playing a game, now she was having second thoughts, maybe he felt the same way as her. Then she reminded herself she wasn't the type of girl he was into._

_Stefan held onto her hand as long as he could hoping she wouldn't ever let go, he had acted like such an idiot, he was surprised she even wanted to speak to him. He couldn't let her love him, he couldn't risk her safety for his happiness, if that meant him being in despair forever, that's what he would do. Moments like this didn't help but he had to do this to get Bonnie to talk to him otherwise he wouldn't even be alive to see Elena let alone take her out like this again._


	8. Damon

_**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who is still reading my story, sorry the updates are slow but I am on summer break now so I will have lots more time for writing. I am currently on holiday so I don't know when I will next be able to update so I made this chapter extra long so more will happen while you are waiting for the next chapter. Sorry there isn't much stelena in this chapter but be a little more patient and I promise there will be soon. And as promised I introduce to you… Damon Salvatore.**_

_****Chapter 7_

_This night couldn't get anymore perfect, Elena couldn't even believe what was happening, Stefan was acting in a way she had never seen before- kind and caring, actually bothering about others as well as him. She had never seen this side of him and she hoped he stayed this way, because although she loved the Stefan that made her laugh, he was also the one that made her angry and frustrated. Tonight it was as if she had met him for the first time, unlike before, this time he actually seemed to take interest in her too._

_Everything couldn't have been better, and when Bonnie arrived she thought there would be no better way to spend the evening, with her best friend and well… whatever Stefan was to her, she wasn't so sure yet. Whatever he was, whatever he did, he made her feel happy, truly happy and honestly right in that moment when their hands were linked together she felt she saw a glimpse of magic, maybe, just maybe, this was the worlds way of showing her that she deserved to be happy just like everyone else and maybe that being with Stefan made her see that magic._

_However her vision of perfection and happiness came crashing down quickly with what only could be described as pure and cruel rejection. Stefan and Bonnie had begun to talk when she arrived and Elena couldn't help feeling slightly left out – they were having a conversation about Bonnie and her ancestor witchy rubbish which even Stefan seemed to be taken in by – and so Elena stood by and waited for them to take up a different subject realising she may have come across as slightly jealous and that there really couldn't be that much more to talk about between them._

_To her disappointment the conversation continued and Stefan didn't even seem to make the effort to try and include her, and also neither did Bonnie. She was annoyed, very annoyed and she couldn't control her anger, she didn't want to ruin her evening so she wouldn't say anything to them, just that she needed to go for a walk._

"_Look I'm going to leave you two here to carry on your conversation, I think I'm going for a walk." she announced "No please Elena stay and talk with us!" Bonnie said, still laughing slightly at something Stefan had said to her, which Elena had not found funny at all. Especially given the situation she was in, being completely and utterly ignored. Just as she thought her and Stefan might actually be getting somewhere from their first few…incidents, he goes and moves them right back to square one, where anyone but Elena is good to talk to._

"_No, I'm going for a walk, I'm sure you won't even notice I'm gone." Elena replied in a frustrated tone, annoyed at the fact that Bonnie started to speak to her now, just as she is about to leave. She didn't notice until she turned her back that Stefan had grabbed hold of her hand again, as if he were willing her to stay, but used no words to convey it. She ignored this now though and pulled her hand away as she began to walk off; even this didn't make her want to talk to him now._

_Elena didn't know what she was going to do or where she was going to go. She did know she didn't want to talk to anyone and she needed to clear her head and decide what was going on. Tonight seemed like a blur, being with Stefan made her question herself, conflicting emotions unable to decide whether it was everything she wanted, or everything she didn't. He made her feel like no other, one look in his eyes could melt her heart and just the sound of his voice made her feel weak and powerless._

_Elena made her way towards the woods, not far from the town square but far enough away that she could be assured to be alone. She tried to ignore all of these thoughts that occurred in her head, but now there was no escape she needed to decide what she wanted, to stop complicating things and make her mind up, whatever Stefan did if she didn't know what she wanted herself how was he meant to know? But she couldn't keep letting him take advantage of her, that's not how it should be._

_Elena kept walking deeper and deeper into the woods, glad of the calm tranquillity that surrounded her. It was almost dark now and she had thought about what had happened earlier with Bonnie and Stefan, she felt slightly guilty of how she made them feel, she decided maybe she should head back, after all she had gone to watch the comet, she had probably missed it by now! After thinking long and hard about what she wanted she decided even though Stefan had asked her out this evening, first impressions count, and he clearly wasn't that bothered about her judging by their first encounter and that look of disgust that Elena remembered so well, which still tot his day haunted her with his reaction. So unless he showed he that he cared about her as much as she did about him to begin with, that it would probably be best for both of them to just be friends, neither of them needed another person to worry about right now._

_Elena didn't realise how far she had walked from the town square now, she stopped and looked around attempting to decipher how exactly she was going to get back. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like a gust of wind behind her, but she didn't feel a thing. Moments later she heard it again, this time it seemed as if the breeze was circling around her. She knew this was impossible, the night was deadly still and there was no sign of cool air whatsoever. She slowly turned to see if anything was visibly going around her. Whatever is was, the human eye couldn't possible make out, no animal could run as fast and nobody else was around in the woods at this time of night._

_Elena didn't like the dark that much, and whatever she thought was out there wasn't helping. She decided she was just paranoid and eventually decided which way to go back. She turned back the way she had come from. When a voice interrupted her… at first she had thought it was just in her head. But the second time it came loud and clear, slicing through the air with a cold, harsh character. She froze, still as a statue, as if their words had this threatening effect, the sound echoed in her ears for minutes, with the same two words sounding on repeat. "Hello **Elena**"_

_She had no idea what to do, her instincts told her to run but somehow another part of her thought whoever this was, they would be able to outrun her. She closed her eyes for half a second, hoping this was all some horrible dream, but when she opened her eyes she was reminded of the harsh reality. Abruptly the dark figure appeared in front of her, she jumped back attempting to create as much space between them both as possible. She didn't know how they managed to get in front of her in the blink of an eye; no human could run that fast and from where the voice had come from before it sounded at least ten metres away - it was impossible. She knew that whatever this was, they would be able to outrun her but she felt lonely and vulnerable, she went against every instinct she had and decided to run._

_She quickly turned the opposite way and began to run, far away from everything- to save herself. Only one or two steps had been taken when she felt the two strong arms of this stranger grip around hers holding her back to stop her from going anywhere. He held her close for a second or two and then leaned in even closer; painfully close as did Stefan only a few hours ago. Then she heard him whisper in a controlling voice, "I wouldn't try that if I were you…"_

_Elena wanted to scream, as loud as she could so someone – anyone would hear her. But she was so scared she barely managed to form words, let alone a cry for help. "What do you want with me?" Elena demanded, however instead of stating her authority it sounded as if she was pleading out of weakness. _

"_Well, how rude!" shouted the figure knowing they were so far from anywhere, nobody would hear. "I was just going to get to the part where I let you introduce yourself, but there's no need for that now." he continued_

"_B-but how do you know who I am?" Elena was even surprised at herself, number one having the courage to actually speak and number two the fact that she was actually questioning this stranger. "Well long story short…At first I thought you were Katherine, so I followed you for a while, wondering why you came back here bla bla bla, then I realised that **you** are Elena. If I'm completely honest I was slightly disappointed when I found out that you were well… **you – **because that meant that I had wasted even more of my life trying to find Katherine. Suddenly Elena interrupted "How long have you been looking? For Katherine I mean." realising this would probably give her a bit more time, seeing as this stranger had decided to practically tell her his life story. She wasn't so bothered about that, just hoping she'd make it out alive._

"_Have you really not learned anything in the past five minutes? You have the impertinence to question me once and then you go and make the exact same mistake again. I wasn't planning on answering you this time because I didn't want to let you in on my little secret but I think that now your Stefan's new play toy, he would want you to know. Oh and about Katherine, you obviously made your mind up that it was your business so believe me when I say I've been looking for a couple of centuries, and this time… please don't ask any stupid questions."_

_Elena found his last remark rather amusing but decided that it would be best not to laugh and irritate this person. "But that would make you over 200 years old, that's impossible." she ridiculed "Well maybe if you let me finish what I am going to tell you, then you might actually learn something new. At first I was just going to tell you what Stefan and I are capable of – but I would much rather show you."_

_The fact that this stranger had mentioned Stefan's name earlier had completely slipped her mind, and now she came to think about it, this stranger implied that Stefan had been using Elena. "Wait you know Stefan?" she questioned once again, then wanting to slap herself for being so stupid instead of just listening. "Of course I do sweetie!" he replied in a patronising voice "Oh, remember to tell him hi from Damon when you next see him…if you see him at all that is." he laughed at his own threatening comment clearly amusing himself with the power he had. _

_This remark made Elena go cold on the inside, was he meaning he would murder her, or Stefan? Or both of them, nothing in her mind doubted this mans ability to be a cold blooded killer. _

"_Anyway, we finally get the interesting part after our little question time." his snarky comments just made Elena even more nervous about her fait this evening. She didn't want to speak anymore, or ask any questions maybe it was safer that way?_

"_I would tell you what Stefan and I are but…you wouldn't believe me, you're too smart for that Elena. So there is only one way that you will truly know and I can't say it won't hurt."_

_Elena's heart felt like it was about to explode it was beating so fast, she knew Stefan and Bonnie would be worried; she had been gone for a long time maybe they might come looking for her. Although even she knew that was just pointless hoping._

_The man continued his speech Elena listening intently "You see Stefan, well you know he's been lying to you a while, bet he didn't tell you that he's not really seventeen? In fact he's quite a long way off, although being one-hundred and sixty sometimes you forget the odd birthday or too and by the way don't even think about asking one of your stupid little questions because I'm not done! Ever wondered why Stefan used to act like he hates you? It's because he can't resist you! Well your blood. He just can't control himself and seeing as he hasn't taken advantage of you yet, I will."_

_Hundreds of thoughts were rushing around in her head at that moment, why would Stefan want her blood? Has he really been lying to her this whole time? Why would he be one-hundred and sixty, that is impossible? Why did she believe everything this stranger told her?_

_Little did she know, she was about to find out that it really was._

_She hadn't realised through this mans whole speech she had slowly backed up so she was pressed up against a tree, probably out of fear. Suddenly she saw the man rush towards her at an unnaturally quick speed. Then for what seemed like hours the words from him echoed in her ears ringing in her mind._

"_I don't like girls who run."_

_What she then saw seemed like a nightmare, one of which was getting worse by the second. He drew back his top lips to reveal, two oversized canines which Elena had never seen throughout their conversation and just before he sunk these into the soft, pale skin of her neck, he used his last words to torture her more. "You're mine now." _

_At this point Elena screamed hoping it was a dream and that she could wake up but no such luck, she was stood there freezing cold, scared to death and the only person she wanted was Stefan. She wanted him to hold her in his arms like he had before and make her feel safe again, like nobody could hurt her._

_She felt the agonising pain run slowly through her nerves as his teeth sunk into her neck for the second time and for a few seconds it numbed a little as he drunk her blood, but after that she had passed out- her last memory, feeling her body gradually put more and more pressure into his embrace as the life was progressively drained out of her, relying on him to hold her, assuring she didn't fall to the ground. Then everything went black._

_**A/N: So what did you think? Will Elena survive, is she already dead? Was it just a dream? When she was about to die, she wanted Stefan, will she still want him when she finds out what he is? Please re-read or review all of your comments/feedback help me!**_


	9. Saviour

_**A/N: Sorry if this update is too soon but I couldn't leave the story on that cliff hanger for so long so I decided to update sooner than usual, it has taken me about 2 weeks to write this chapter how I thought it should be and now its finally finished, I just really hope you all like it and all of your reviews help me, even people who just read this I'm over 1000 views now so thank you to everyone and I know the story is a bit slow but please don't give up, I have a great plan for where it is going and I'm sure you will all love it!**_

_Chapter 8_

_Damon ripped his fangs away from the soft, pale neck of the innocent girl and watched as a little blood from the two harsh punctures made there, trickled down her pasty skin. She had passed out not long ago, unfortunately for him; she wasn't able to witness the terror and pain he was causing her. He took the time to admire her beauty as she lay lifeless in his arms, he was tempted to drain every last drop of blood from her body, but that would be too easy._

_He wanted Stefan to see her like this, walking on the line between the dead and the living, that would cause him most pain, because although he would never admit it, he loved this girl as if she were Katherine… but more. The days of chasing after a girl who didn't want to be chased were over for Stefan, he didn't want his whole eternity to be one big game and he had to be the one to find Elena first, good old Stefan he always had to get there first, the other girl the Damon wanted so badly._

_Who knew she would be the identical match to the first girl they both loved, this made Damon even more furious than he had been back in 1864 when everything started. So he decided that he was going to play a little game of his own. _

_After he had finished with Elena, he had ensured he had left bite marks all over her body, her arms, and legs and on the back of her neck. She looked as if she had been ripped to shreds by some vicious animal. He didn't want to do this to her particularly but he sure as hell wanted Stefan to feel the pain of seeing her like this, maybe this would teach him to think he could keep Elena all to himself without him knowing. _

_He laid her body down just under one of the trees in the woods, motionless, the only thing assuring him she was still alive was the unhurried, dull beat of her heart that could be faintly heard only by the supernatural. He watched her for a few moments, knowing that if someone didn't reach her soon he might be the last to see her alive. Then he turned and ran away into the night, looking forward to witnessing the events that were later to evolve._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX_

_Elena had been away for at least an hour now, and nobody had seen her since she disappeared, he couldn't help but worry about her safety especially seeing that she had headed towards the woods, nobody normally ventured over there, especially at night. He had only gotten more anxious when he had heard a scream coming from that direction._

_Everyone else had sworn that it was all in his head, but he knew he could hear a lot better than them, only he could sense danger and he maybe hadn't felt it earlier but now a strong power was near by, he could feel it lingering in the air around him; making even one of the strongest creatures, such as himself, feel fragile and weak. _

_Bonnie had tried calling Elena a little while ago, but she didn't answer, if only he had included her in the conversation more maybe that unfortunate situation could have been avoided. This just showed him what an abomination he really was, now he was willing to risk the safety of others around him just to give surety of his existence, the unfair reality of this being he had lived at lot longer than he really should have and twice more over that, he shouldn't have survived in 1864; when he died, he should have stayed dead, instead he became a supernatural monster – natures most hated creature. _

_Now he had the guilt on his shoulders permanently if anything happened to Elena because of his scheming and pretending. He decided his only option to be sure she was alive and well, was to go and search for her himself maybe then he could apologise for the moment earlier._

_He had been walking for all but ten minutes when he realised how far away Elena could have gotten from the town square this way, nobody would have seen her and for the amount of time she had been gone, she could be miles away by now. He just hoped it wasn't too late; he had a bad feeling about tonight. Maybe the witches were right about the comet being a sign of bad things happening._

_The light now had completely faded and the only sign of illumination was the moonlight that had made its way through the treetops falling down between the branches creating glittering pools on the ground. Even he was lost now, there were so many ways she could have gone and he didn't have a clue, which way she could be. The worst thing of all perhaps, there was no sign of life around except for the odd animal or two. He had hoped she might have headed back to the square but nobody had tried to contact him and let him know otherwise. He decided to walk deeper into the woods in any direction possible; if Elena was hurt he needed to find her – even though he had no way of knowing where on earth she was, he was willing to search every part of the woods to make sure she was ok._

_After a few more minutes of walking Stefan came to a halt, abruptly. That was when it hit him, the stench of blood lingering in the air. Instantly he knew something was wrong, this was human blood he could smell, the type he craved the most. The one thing that destroyed his composure that was what made him **the ripper. **This time he had to resist it because he knew that this blood wasn't just anyone's, it was Elena's and for him to be able to smell it meant that she had to be very badly hurt this wasn't just a small cut it seemed like a life threatening injury._

_He followed the pathway which his senses told him all the time having to fight to urge not to give in, the stench of blood becoming more imminent. This worried him even more; at first he had though perhaps Elena had tripped and cut her leg a little but the amount of blood he could sense was not a little. The amount you may expect to see surrounding a corpse – he didn't know it yet but that may be what he would find._

_As he came into a clearing it felt as if his heart had stopped. There lying limp and unconscious was Elena – he stood there for what seemed like hours to take in this sight before him, her jumper which she had been wearing before she left was now ripped to shreds, with parts lying on the ground around her, this left revealed her pale white skin now covered in bite marks from where she had been attacked. It was evident now to him that this had not been some sort of animal – it was one of his kind, the ones that relied on human blood for survival, **a vampire**. _

_Her body was a mess, whoever had done this to her wanted her to die, he felt like his heart had been ripped apart when he saw the two huge punctures left in her neck directly in one of her veins, the blood still pouring out creating a pool around her._

_He had only needed to stand there for a few seconds to take it all in, before he rushed to her side and kneeled down beside her judging what to do, if she was dead even he couldn't do anything to save her. _

_He took his arm around her back just under her shoulders and the other under her knees and lifted her as close to him as possible. As he did so her neck tilted backwards slightly revealing even more bite marks, it took everything inside of him to try and resist but all he needed was the sound of her heartbeat slowly fading to know that she didn't have much longer left. He held the back of her head softly with his hand to ensure he didn't harm her anymore, then he felt his canines extending and sunk them into his own wrist allowing the blood to pour out slowly – he then held this to her lips hoping she would have the strength to drink some. Laying there in his arms he had never seen anything more beautiful, her eyes were closed although he swore he could see tears running down her face, all this pain, all this misery, this was supposed to only happen to him, he was meant to carry this around not have it afflicted upon others, it just wasn't fair, when she awoke he would protect her, he would be sure that never again would something like this happen – the only thought running through his mind now was **if** she awoke._

_Although he knew the vampire blood would not heal her completely, it would ensure that all of the punctures healed slightly allowing no more loss of blood, and then she would be safe, the fact that only the smallest amount of his blood was in her system now made the his guilt slowly weaken at least she would be alive even if she was hurt. Whilst this was happening he couldn't help but wonder **who** had done this to her, he didn't know of any other vampires in town and surely if Damon and Katherine were back they would have made their presence known, after all he was sure even someone as evil as his brother wouldn't try and kill Elena especially with her resemblance to Katherine._

_He sat their with her in his arms for a while just watching her, even on the brink of death she was still beautiful her breathing was becoming more regular now and he knew his blood had began to work. This was the easy part, he had saved her life and now he had to wait until she awoke; when he would have to explain everything to her and if she didn't already know – tell her **what** he is._

_It seemed surreal that only a few hours ago they were joking and laughing together, and now she was almost dead in his arms, freezing to death almost drowning in her own blood. He knew he couldn't let her go back to see everyone like this there would be questions and he would have to be the one to give the answers. He contacted Bonnie, told her that he found Elena and that she is fine and now they are both heading back to the boarding house for a little while. Apparently her parents are on vacation for a while so they wouldn't worry about where she was either._

_Now was just a waiting game to see what she remembered of tonight._

_He was going to take her back to his car and drive back to the boarding house but he knew there was always going to be a risk that someone saw her like this and no doubt they would assume it was him that had done this to her. _

_He realised as he began his walk back, that the boarding house was a lot closer than he thought; working out that it would only take a few minutes which would be far quicker than attempting to get to his car unseen. _

_When they arrived at the boarding house Stefan still had Elena in his arms occasionally glancing down to see whether she was close to awakening. Once inside, he carried her upstairs to his room, where they had been talking earlier this evening. He placed her carefully on the bed, trying to avoid touching any of her injuries, this wasn't easy though. When in the light he could see the extent of what this creature had really done to her. Not only was there bite marks, she was covered in scratches._

_His blood seemed to be working but it still hadn't healed her properly, so it was best if she stayed there until he could explain to her what was going on._

_He reached for a blanket at the end of the bed and placed it over her, after being left out in the woods she was freezing cold – the jumper didn't help. As much as he wanted to lay next to her and hold her, he knew that he couldn't – as soon as she woke, she would think that he had done this to her and he really didn't need anyone running around town screaming vampire, whether it was referring to him or not. He brushed a strand of hair from in front of her face behind her ear, careful not to wake her_

_He didn't know how long he had been waiting – pacing back and forth around his room, wondering what he should say, what she already knew, who did this? He turned and looked over to her when she suddenly gasped and sat up swiftly. _

_A wave of aching and pain went through her as she realised where she was – Stefan rushed over and steadied her back before she fell down onto the bed again. He gently lowered her backwards again, so he could explain everything._

"_What is going on?" Elena demanded as if pleading him not to hurt her, but now she had a minute to establish her surroundings, it was as if the whole of this evening flashed before her eyes. Wandering in the woods alone, meeting the stranger, him talking about someone called Katherine and **Stefan! **Then the worst part - him attacking her and blacking out. She didn't need to remember anymore but she was sure the amount of blood she had lost – she should not be alive right now. _

"_Elena I found you in the woods, what happened to you?" Stefan questioned realising she now remembered the events of this evening. It took her a while to answer him; seeming distracted eyeing all of her injuries. "He said he knew you." she answered blankly, Stefan presumed she was referring to her attacker and deep down he knew already it was a vampire but one that knew him... that made everything worse. "…and Katherine." she added staring expressionlessly down at the floor._

_A wave of emotions rushed through him just hearing her name made him go cold and at that moment he didn't need to ask anymore- he should have known better than to think he could go anywhere without **Damon **following him, this sort of stunt had his name written all over it. Damon and Katherine were clearly planning this together and until they were gone, neither he nor Elena would be safe._

_After a minute or two of just sitting, thinking to himself, he realised that however much he was hurting now from all the guilt he was carrying, Elena was probably hurting ten times more physically and emotionally. She had no idea what had just happened to her, who did it, or why it happened, this time it was his turn to be strong for her._

"_What else did he say to you Elena?" Stefan questioned in a nervous tone. It took her a minute to recall all of his words then to find the courage to repeat them. "H-he said that his name was Damon and that he thought I was Katherine and urm, that he knows why you pretended to hate me and…" her voice trailed off feeling ashamed of the fact she admitted she wasn't happy about the way he treated her, she just hoped he knew what to do now because she had no idea what kind of world she had just been brought into, but she was scared as hell and needed him to help her right now – whether he wanted to or not. She could tell by the look in his eye that this person sounded familiar to him and she wanted to know who he really was._

"_Who is he Stefan? How do you know him?" she asked staring deep into his eyes for the first time since he brought her back tonight, he could see fear and bewilderment inside of her and decided this time he had to do it properly – she probably already had her suspicions about what he was and him lying to her about it would just make it worse._

"_He is…urm, Damon is my brother." he said hesitantly looking away from her beautiful face in shame knowing that if he could see the hurt his words just caused, his heart may break. "WHAT! You're kidding right" she cried, the realisation of the situation hitting her hard, "so that means you are…" not needing to finish her sentence, he knew she knew now that whatever his brother was that meant Stefan was exactly the same. **A **vampire**. ** A million questions were running through her head, but she wasn't scared of him, she was angry, how could he use her like that, he probably thought she was Katherine too at first, maybe he wanted to use her to annoy his brother, maybe she was nothing to him after all, clearly by his brothers reaction being friends with her caused a problem between them and even now he didn't even have the decency to look her in the eye and admit it, everything, she wanted the truth_

"_This isn't fair Stefan!" she cried out again, "you're not getting away with it this time, there's no point me knowing half a story, this is your fault, now I know so you could at least have the courtesy to tell me the truth." pleading him to talk to her she had lost all her patience everything she felt towards him was being told now, nothing could stop her._

_He stood up with his back to her ignoring her last remark remaining silent once again, he felt as if he was being stabbed through the heart multiple times, he never needed her to know, everything was going fine but now everything was ruined, she knew he was a monster and there was nothing he could do anymore. He couldn't face her tears, he could hear her softly sobbing, sitting down on his bed with her head in her hands, he wanted to go over and hold her in his arms, telling her everything was going to be alright, but that would only scare her more, what she wanted was the truth._

"_The first time you met me I was trying to be a friend to you, I didn't know who you were, you threw it back in my face, you ignored me and not only that, you acted like you hated me, as if I'd done something so awful it was unforgivable! Looks like it should be the other way round to me, and today your being nice to me, is it because you feel guilty for what happened or because you just want my blood?" her voice trailed off, she didn't know why she had mentioned the last part but she figured she would know whether what Damon had told her was true or not from his reaction. _

_Elena had no doubt in her mind about what he was – what they were, she would never have believed it, but what other explanation could there be? Only to think that Jeremy was right all along, when she never believed him about Vicki's death how could he forgive her when she tells him it's true._

"_I would never hurt you like that Elena, you should know that." his voice soft and gentle, he walked over to her and looked into her eyes, filled with sorrow and pain he reached his had up slowly cupping her face and gently brushed her cheek with his thumb, knowing he had just broken every rule he had made, to keep Elena safe from him. Everything was different now; their lives had changed in a matter of minutes and it's too late to try and pretend everything was going to be ok; they were in it together now. It was his brother who attacked her and it was both of their secrets they needed her to keep, even though she would probably never trust either of them again._

_As tragic as this situation was, as much as she pretended to be annoyed with him about everything, she wanted him more than ever, she needed him and everything he was doing now made it worse, one minute he couldn't even look at her the next he's all over her. She had no idea what to do, he was a monster but she felt something for him, now he showed how he truly felt, he didn't need to say a word, just one look in his eye was all she needed to know that he felt exactly the same. _

"_I'm sorry" that was all he said, not everything is going to be ok, just 'I'm sorry' that was enough. "We can't be like this Stefan" she said solemnly pulling away from his embrace, "he didn't like it the way we were before, now what happens, you still haven't told me the truth, why did you pretend to hate me? Were you even pretending? Are you even being truthful with me now? Why are you being nice to me now, tell me Stefan is there something so awfully wrong with me that you can't even look me in the eye right now?" her voice had raised now going from almost a whisper to a yell echoing through the room around them "I just can't be like this anymore Stefan" she closed eyes wishing it was all over, praying that she had never met him, none of this would have happened, her anger was slowly diminishing into despair her heart told her to love Stefan with everything she had, that he would protect her and somehow he would do anything to save her from this monster. _

_Hoping when she opened her eyes Stefan would be gone and she could be alone, to let all of her emotions out, so everything that she had been holding in, trying to be strong in front of Stefan, although it hadn't entirely worked, she just wanted to be alone. She opened her eyes knowing he would probably be on the other side of the room now with his back to her trying to block out all of his feelings, instead he has right in front of her with barely any room between them, he was so close she could feel the power from him, her skin burned from the touch of his hand against her face, then his lips pressed against hers for the first time, so soft, so gentle, that she barely even felt it. His lips were cool against hers but the power and the warmth she got from his kiss were indescribable, like nothing she had ever felt before, all the questions she had earlier had vanished from her mind, she didn't need answers now, what mattered was that he cared about her more than anything right here, right now. Looking into his eyes she could see that he knew there was a million reasons why he shouldn't have done that, why she shouldn't have let him; but one that overruled them all he **should** have done that because he loved her and no matter what he was going to protect her from his brother, from Katherine from anything, but he needed to know if anything like this happened again maybe next time she wasn't so lucky and he didn't find her in time, that she knew how he felt about her so she could die knowing that she was loved by someone, that he really cared, because that's what mattered most._

_His kiss was so unexpected but felt so right, she didn't know what to say and it felt like she was stood there for hours staring into his eyes, looking for some surety, that everything was real. After a few minutes all she said was "I need to know the truth Stefan, however bad it is, I need to know."_

_**A/N: So please everyone tell me what you thought! Will Elena still feel the same way about Stefan when she hears about his past as the ripper? Will Stefan be completely honest? When will Katherine appear if she does at all? And will Damon stay away that easily now Elena had Stefan to protect her I don't think so!**_


End file.
